Exodus 34:6 ... "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness, 7 keeping loyal love for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the children's children, to the third and fourth generation."
The LORD is a very magnificent being! His personal qualities are absolutely awesome and beyond compare. His moral qualities are excellent! We do well to know God more and more, and align our lives to him. The Bible gives us many facets of his being. Today, we want to focus our minds and hearts on a neglected, yet very important aspect of God’s being. Most people (at least in the cities or the developed and developing parts of the world) are familiar with what we may describe as the “tender” side of God. This is the part of God’s moral character that has to do with God’s love, mercy, grace, goodness, and the like. A common phrase used by people in very many places (whether they are active church goers or not) is “God is good all the time!”. We also hear other phrases with similar meanings. These ideas are at the core of who God is. God is a very tender-hearted God. He is merciful, gracious, and kind. But there is another side of God’s character that is equally important. We may describe it as the “tough” side of God. This part of who God is includes God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice. God is pure in his being, always does what is right, and treats people with justice. God disciplines his sons and daughters when necessary. He requires that people, whom he created, live according to his holy standards. The Bible describes God as both “tender” and “tough”. It is “both”/ “and’, not “either”/”or”. When we see God for all that he is, and when we relate to him for all that he is, we will be lifted to the level of the divine in our experience. The fullness of God’s moral qualities has the potential of changing us to be like God in our behavior if we think about it over and over, and align our lives to its truths. Today, let’s receive a balanced view of God. Let’s examine the “tough” side of God and allow the facts to enrich our understanding and appreciation of God as well as strengthen our spiritual lives. And let us experience the tender part of God for the healing of our souls (minds and emotions). We become better persons and more effective servants of God when we live by both the tender and tough sides of God. God’s rich blessings on your life today! Lathur Badoy